An Open Letter Calling for the Resignation of Saudi Sympathizing Politicians

(ANTIMEDIA – Op-Ed) Whether you are Nobel Peace Prize recipient Barack Obama or unabashed warmonger John McCain, if you hold a federally elected office in the United States and are calling for more military action in the Middle East without first addressing the crimes against humanity carried out by Saudi Arabia, you are a fraud and should resign — effective immediately.

I don’t mean resign next week or later today. I mean now. Stop what you’re doing, write out a letter (or get a staff member to write one for you), and give a press conference. I don’t care how you do it — just resign. Don’t put your name on the ballot for another term in Congress, don’t seek higher office, and certainly don’t run for president. Stop the charade. You do not represent your constituents. You are a disgrace. Resign.

Why do you glorify spending our tax dollars on establishing a military presence in Syria and Iraq for your stated purpose of obliterating ISIS — a group of ‘radical Muslims’ who barbarically behead human beings — all while the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been responsible for at least 152 public beheadings of their own since January 1, 2015? If you don’t consider a nation that sentences a man to decapitation for writing love poems (which Saudi Arabia recently did) to be “radical,” then you are deranged. Why do one group’s human rights violations warrant swift military action while another group that commits the same transgressions is heralded as an ally?

How stupid do you think “we the people” are?

The world can see you smiling through your scowl as we become wise to the fact that you are using the instability created by ISIS as an excuse to overthrow Assad.

You may retort that President Obama has repeatedly stated there will be no boots on the ground in Syria (even though there have been) — and how dare I claim that ISIS is being used as a tool for American interests? Aside from the 44th president’s words not being worth much, Obama has advanced the U.S. government’s policy to train and arm “moderate” Syrian rebels in the region — while simultaneously launching airstrikes on their behalf. You and I both know this practice has undeniably resulted in the perpetual arming and strengthening of ISIS. And since it is no secret that the U.S. wants Bashar al-Assad out of power as the leader of Syria, it is glaringly obvious you are willing to tolerate a few radical jihadis running amok over in the Middle East as long as your interests are served as a result of their presence. Although we can agree Assad is a dictator who has committed many ruthless acts of his own, we both know this is not why you wish for him to be ousted, nor is it a legitimate reason to overthrow the Syrian government.

If any of you truly cared about ending atrocity and oppression, you would be speaking out against the vicious Saudi regime. Instead, you welcomed King Salman with open arms in September when he and his entourage rented out all 222 rooms of the elegant and costly Georgetown Four Seasons during an official state visit to meet with President Obama at the White House. You allowed the Pentagon to honor King Abdullah at the time of his passing in January, when the DoD sponsored an essay contest as a “tribute to the life and leadership” of the brutal monarch. Instead, you stay quiet as Saudi Arabia is elected to chair the UN Human Rights Council (a decision beyond ludicrous). Instead, you remain silent as the U.S. State Department approves the sale of $1.3 billion worth of air-to-ground munitions, such as laser-guided bombs and “general purpose” bombs, to the kingdom just last month — not to mention the $90 billion worth of Saudi arms sales you approved between 2010 and 2015.

What is Saudi Arabia doing with the legions of weapons you are supplying to them? They are using them on civilians. Of the 5,700 people killed in Yemen by Saudi-led forces since March 26, over 2,500 have been civilians, including 830 women and children, according to the United Nations.

In October, KSA threatened its own citizens with the death penalty for spreading ‘rumors’ about the government on social media. The kingdom also recently sentenced multiple activists to death by crucifixion for protesting — including 20-year-old Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, who was 17 at the time of his arrest.

Also, you know how you have used “9/11” as an excuse to carry out every single one of your constitutional shredding whims over the past 14 years? You are aware the government says 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi nationals, right? Your response? Invade Iraq — a country that had nothing to do with the attacks. Meanwhile, the Saudi royal family enjoyed a day out on the farm with George W. Bush at his Crawford, Texas ranch.

You have also helped block the release of 28 redacted pages from a congressional intelligence report said to contain damning information implicating Saudi complicity in the attacks on 9/11. And of course, you use the tired line of “national security” to keep those pages suppressed . . . because 9/11, of course. Can you see the irony here?

Republicans, you love to find reasons to scold the president, but I have never once heard one of you criticize him for accepting around $1.35 million in gifts from the kingdom in 2014. That’s probably because you would have taken it, too.

How about the front-running Democratic nominee for president of the United States, Hillary Clinton? You, too, are someone who has benefitted greatly from a relationship with Saudi Arabia.

“In 2011, the State Department cleared an enormous arms deal: Led by Boeing, a consortium of American defense contractors would deliver $29 billion worth of advanced fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns over the kingdom’s troublesome human rights record. In the years before Hillary Clinton became secretary of state, Saudi Arabia had contributed $10 million to the Clinton Foundation, and just two months before the jet deal was finalized, Boeing donated $900,000 to the Clinton Foundation.”

Although you don’t currently hold office, Hillary, you should hold yourself accountable (yeah, fat chance) and drop out of the race. And you should do it today.

We both know the Saudi Arabian Embassy keeps Tony Podesta, the brother of Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, on retainer. Podesta is head of one of the largest Republican Super PACs in the U.S. and chairs a law firm with deep ties to the Obama administration. Ignacio Sanchez, one of Jeb Bush’s top fundraisers, also lobbies on behalf of the Saudi Kingdom. But you don’t see a conflict of interest, I’m sure.

During King Salman’s visit in September, the Kingdom helped sponsor lavish galas at Washington’s Ritz Carlton and the Andrew Mellon Auditorium. These affairs were attended by chief executives of Lockheed Martin and General Electric, as well as the chairman of Marriott International. Do you see a problem, yet? At all?

How about Qorvis, the PR firm that has openly worked for the Saudis since, ironically, a few months after 9/11. They must do something for the $7 million they received from the Saudi government between April and September of this year alone. How much influence does that purchase? The $2,000 Qorvis paid to former Republican congressman Mark Kennedy for a speaking engagement is nothing compared to what is spent to garner airtime on cable news networks — something Saudi officials have been doing more and more regularly.

Politicians who hypocritically align themselves with figures as merciless as those they publicly rebuke have shown themselves to be untrustworthy. They should represent no one. Working alongside the Saudis while bombing other countries for similar actions demonstrates your shameful willingness to go along with whatever self-serving agenda is presented to you. You were for sale but now have sold, and the time has arrived for you to pay up.

Should you continue your flagrant support of Saudi Arabia by way of foreign aid and weapons sales, you are no longer to be trusted to hold an elected position of influence. You should therefore resign, effective immediately.

The question is: Is your allegiance to the people of the United States, or are you beholden to another kingdom?

A petition has been started requesting the resignation of every single federally elected U.S.official continuing to support the brutal Saudi regime. You can add your name in support here.

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